All set for the Sani festival to begin. The Sani monastery is all decorated for this special day of Sani festival. Crowds gather in large numbers. People from far off villages in Zanskar come to Sani for this occasion. Read more on Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil.

Drums are played to welcome the chief guest. A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more on Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil.

Two young monks play an instrument called Shehnai to welcome the chief guest at the Sani festival.
A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more on Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil.

Women hold "Katha" - the white scarf, to welcome the chief guest at the Sani monastery festival. A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

Women hold "Katha" - the white scarf, to welcome the chief guest at the Sani monastery festival. A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

A member of a group called Women's Alliance had come all the way from Ladakh for the Sani festival. A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

Sani festival is a big event in the Zanskar. People from all over Zanskar, dressed in their festive best come to Sani for this festival. Everyone is in a gung ho mood meeting friends and relatives. It is a great moment to soak in the camaraderie and the joyous atmosphere. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

These are the scenes inside the Sani monastery, host of the Sani festival, a two-day riot of colour, dance and music. It is an important festival in the Zanskar valley. People from far-flung villages of Zanskar travel here for the festival. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

The Sani monastery hosts the Sani festival, a two-day riot of colour, dance and music. It is an important festival in the Zanskar valley. People from far-flung villages of Zanskar travel here for the festival. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

The Sani monastery hosts the Sani festival, a two-day riot of colour, dance and music. It is an important festival in the Zanskar valley. People from far-flung villages of Zanskar travel here for the festival. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

This is the interiors of the Sani monastery on the day of the Sani festival. Sani is one of the oldest monasteries in Zanskar.
Devotees have offered "kathas", white silk scarfs offered as a mark of respect to the idols. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

A member of a group called Women's Alliance had come all the way from Ladakh for the Sani festival. A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

A member of a group called Women's Alliance had come all the way from Ladakh for the Sani festival. A two-day riot of colour, dance and music, the Sani Festival is the perfect way to build a social camaraderie among the far-flung villages of the Zanskar valley. Read more at Sani festival: Colourful victory of good over evil

She was the daughter of the family we stayed with in Sani. Her deftness in rolling these chapatis just with her hands was striking and I asked her for some cooking lessons. Read more on Simple life of Sani.

Religion and prayers, as a way of life, was unmissable. Prayer beads and Mani wheels were ubiquitous. Living in the midst of such harsh nature, it was not really surprising! Read more on Simple life of Sani.

This was our homestay in Sani. It was the house of the only shopkeeper in the entire Sani village. She was the daughter of the house and in charge of the kitchen responsibilities. She even gave us some impromptu cooking lessons. Read more on Simple life of Sani.

We got a chance to attend a post wedding party during our stay in the Sani village of Zanskar. Local homemade bread served with a spicy tangy pickle and yogurt was one of the delicacies served at the wedding. Read more about the Simple life in Sani.

We got a chance to attend a post wedding party during our stay in the Sani village of Zanskar. This woman is showing off the local home made bread served at the event. Read more about the Simple life in Sani.

This is a tub full of Chang , the staple drink of Zanskar, brewed by fermenting barley. It flows freely on any special occasion; from young to old, everyone relishes it. Read more about the Simple life of Sani.

Tea is served in small porcelain cups like this in the Ladakh region in India. Rows of decorative cups are proudly displayed on the kitchen shelves. Locals in this region have a special butter tea. But to tourists, they will ask for your preference. Read more on Simple life of Sani.

Religion and prayers, as a way of life, was unmissable. Prayer beads and Mani wheels were ubiquitous. Living in the midst of such harsh nature, it was not really surprising! Read more about the Simple life in Sani.

Joys of a simple life; these girls are trying to run away from another one (with the back to the camera) splashing water on them. This is in a small village called Sani in the Zanskar valley. Read more about the Simple life in Sani.

Joys of a simple life; these girls are trying to run away from their friend splashing water on them. This is in a small village called Sani in the Zanskar valley. Read more about the Simple life in Sani.